Movie that made me cry!

Summer and boredom are interrelated for me. From last 18 years I have been either sleeping or eating during summers. But this year is different. Suddenly I discovered this weird (weird only for me and my parents who do not understand the advantages of watching movies all day) and amazing
(for my friends who are great movie buffs) pastime this summer. And after watching some 3 movies in 2 days (that’s my capacity for now) I thought of creating this blog (media student- can’t think beyond sharing their ideas and thoughts). So here I start with the movie I saw recently on afternoon when I had no option left but to watch a movie.

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story- This is the heart-warming story about the close, unique bond between a master and his dog, highlighting the loyalty and faithfulness of the animal. I am not a keen animal lover and more precisely not at all a dog lover but this movie is responsible to urge me to watch more and more movies. Like in the first line I describe it as a heart-warming story, I am not just using that adjective to make my post look sophisticated but this movie will actually make you cry even if you aren’t a dog lover.

To summarize the plot I would say, a college professor Parker Wilson (Richard Gere) finds the dog at a train station. Hachi is an Akita dog from Japan, characterized by its delicate features and milk-colored fur.

The sudden appearance of the cute, homeless animal does not immediately impress Parker’s wife, Cate Wilson (played by Joan Allen) who wants to get rid of it. But the bond that gradually builds between Parker and Hachi eventually melts her heart, and she allows it to stay.

Parker’s best friend Ken (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), who is of Japanese descent, tells Parker some wise words: “It is not you who found the dog, but the dog found you.”

Parker and Hachi build an unbreakable friendship. Parker plays with the dog and teaches it how to catch a ball. And Hachi accompanies the professor every day on his way to the train station, and then returns to the station in the afternoons to greet Parker on his way home.

One day the professor passes away in class, and does not come back to the station. But Hachi continues to wait for him. Parker’s daughter, who lives out of town eventually, goes to collect the dog to take it home, but afterwards Hachi faithfully returns to the station to wait for the professor.

The story of Hachi soon becomes the talk of the town. During its daily visits to the station Hachi touches the hearts of many people who work or live in the area. The dog teaches the local people about love, compassion, devotion and loyalty.

This film is an American adaptation of a true Japanese story about a loyal dog named Hachiko, and is also a remake of the 1987 Japanese film Hachiko Monogatari.

The real star of this movie is Hachi and I love how the director showed scenes from the dog’s point of view. What amazes me is the dog’s emotion in the whole movie. Richard Gere wasn’t too bad himself here; just being his classic self while the others made an adequate supporting cast. . I believe that a movie is hit if it captures the viewer’s heart or if the viewer connects with it. Hachiko did that to me.

This one’s a really nice, heart-warming film that shows us the value of family loyalty and life-long friendship. Everyone can learn something from Hachi.

Verdict: I did cry and for a moment thought of getting a pet dog for myself but.....forget it. If you haven’t watched this film yet please go watch it. Dog-lovers might want to prepare some tissues when watching this.